Well, calling it ecodriving is pushing the limit a little bit, but I did get to take the fortwo out for a serious spin around the block. I test drove the U.S. version of the car, and not any of the cooler, European options, so that certainly needs to be taken into account. On that note, I was very happy with my drive, aside from a few caveats.

Despite the fortwo’s reputation as a cheap ride, it felt very solid and well constructed. The seats were comfortable and the cabin well designed, with the open top a welcome way to avoid the claustrophobia you might feel in a vehicle with such little overall interior volume. The gauge cluster was well laid out, and the analog clock on the dash added a nice touch, though it might make reading the clock more time intensive than safe when on the road.

As far as the actual drive is concerned, the car felt very solid and had plenty of pep. Compared to the i MiEV electric car, it wasn’t as fast, but it till avoided the age old “too slow to get out of it’s own way” stereotype that still plagues the subcompact section of cars. I was actually following the i MiEV during my test drive and found myself easily able to keep up with its lead-footed driver in most circumstances.

However, that brings me to my two main criticisms of the car. The first is that the transmission available in the United States is very unsatisfying. The shifting is much rougher than it needs to be, and makes the overall experience of the car seem rather unrefined, especially for a product from Mercedes. I am under the impression that this isn’t the case with many of the European models, but that doesn’t erase the fact that U.S. options still have major flaws.

The second complaint from me is that Smart really needs to add some sort of fuel economy gauge to the car. Sure, this may be a little expensive, but I think most drivers would welcome the information, especially since many of them are certainly buying the vehicle for its impressive fuel economy. I hope smart will jump on the bandwagon with this in the next few years.

That said, I can’t tell you what fuel economy I delivered with the car, but if you live in the city and are looking for something small and fuel efficient, the fortwo is a worthy choice.

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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFCmr5mu47A

Firstly, before playing the video, keep in mind is is Redman and it is mainstream rap music, so if you’re sensitive, don’t listen. It does strengthen my point though.

So why are rappers in Smarts important?

It’s important because it represents a paradigm shift. It’s not a joke, and it’s not a poignant statement, it’s just something different. In most music videos, you see things like Ferraris, BMWs, spinners, and waste. This video isn’t about being thrifty, but it’s being “cool” in a different way. During the video Redman drives up and down off the sidewalk and otherwise acts as if there were nothing unusual about the car he were driving.

Anyway, you can draw whatever conclusions you want, but it’s definitely a fun video.

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The Cannonball run was one of those things I grew up wishing I could do, but knowing I never would. Well, now that I’m all grown up, it doesn’t seem like it matters anyway, because the Cannonball run isn’t done in the US anymore. Luckily, for entertainment’s sake, it’s still on in Europe, and this year there were some pretty interesting results.

This year’s winner was, somewhat suprisingly, a BRABUS-modified Smart car. The BRABUS package definitely gives the Smart a kick in the pants, but it’s nowhere near as powerful as some of the cars you’d expect to see. However, the European site does point out that “it’s not what you drive, but how you drive it.”

How did the Smart capture the glory?

Even though the other cars in the race were much faster, the Smart made the trek at an average of 61 mph by cutting down on stops. As one of the driver’s states, it was the car’s fuel economy and not its speed that allowed it to win the iconic endurance race:

The downfall of the bigger cars was that they were forced to stop so often, so while they kept overtaking us, we eventually went past them at the next petrol station when they needed to fill up again,” said David…. “We kept at a decent speed and still averaged around 35 miles per gallon.”

I can sympathize with this, as I often find myself passed by speeders on long road trips, only to pass them again as they fill up while I can cruise up to 700 miles on a single tank. Given the Smart’s success this year, I wonder if we’ll begin to see more people competing in fuel efficient cars in future Cannonball runs. I guess time will tell!

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